The Archaeological Research Centre (TUARC) was established in May, 2001 by the University Senate. The Centre is dedicated to the investigation and understanding of past cultures through studies of artifacts, analysis of field, laboratory, and archival data, and the education of students and interested community members by courses, publications, and lectures. TUARC is a unique research institute which manages academic and research facilities for professional archaeologists, researchers, graduate students, and volunteers. It sponsors workshops and special courses on archaeology. Research facilities include specialized laboratories for Human osteology, Mesoamerican archaeology, Ontario archaeology, Paleo-DNA studies, South American archaeology, and Zooarchaeology. In addition, a Pre-Columbian Aboriginal Art Resource Room and Library is maintained. TUARC also assists with the publication of the findings of associated scholars, and organizes public lectures on recent archaeological discoveries and advances

The Canadian Environmental Modelling Centre was established as part of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University in July of 1995, with the appointment of Professor Don Mackay as holder of a jointly funded NSERC - Chemistry Industry Research Chair. In July of 2000, the Research Chair was renewed. The mission of the Centre is to contribute to improved management of chemicals in our environment, locally, regionally, nationally and globally, by acquiring and analysing appropriate data on chemical properties and developing, validating and disseminating mass balance models, which describe the fate of these chemicals in the environment.

The objectives of the Centre for Health Studies are to provide a focus for the different types of research conducted at Trent on various aspects of health, to assist researchers in obtaining research funding, to foster greater communication among health researchers within and outside the university, to serve as a link between Trent and other health institutions, to foster better communication to the general public of basic health research and its real-world applications, and to facilitate the training of students (both graduate and undergraduate) for careers and research in health-related fields. The Centre sponsors regular research colloquia and an annual lecture (or series) open to faculty and students, as well to health-care workers and others in the Peterborough community; occasional conferences, on different health-related themes (e.g. promoting healthy aging; issues in Aboriginal health care delivery; psychological wellness and academic success); and workshops that support the continuing needs of health-care professionals.

The Trent Centre for Materials Research fosters research at Trent leading to an improved understanding of the properties of materials of potential benefit to industry, and the training of highly qualified personnel in these areas. To do this, the Centre brings together Trent faculty with research interests in applied materials research, currently in the departments of Chemistry and Physics. Its goals are to improve communications and cross-fertilization of research among the faculty and their graduate students, develop research collaborations, and expose all of the participants to a broad spectrum of research, both experimental and theoretical, in the materials area. The Centre holds research seminars as part of, and in addition to, the weekly Physics/Chemistry seminar series and the Material Science graduate program.

The Centre for the Study of Theory, Culture and Politics encourages research and teaching guided by critical/theoretical orientations that have emerged from contemporary developments in the humanities and social sciences. These orientations test the limits of conventional disciplines and contribute to the study of the complex network of relations that links knowledge, culture and politics. The Centre is concerned to foster substantive projects of research as well as fundamental reflection on conceptual and methodological issues. The Centre aims to integrate teaching and research, and to encourage the work of both emerging and established scholars. It promotes scholarly research and interchange through conferences, symposia, and speakers series as well as through specific research projects and publications. An M.A. Program -- Theory, Culture and Politics -- is an important activity of the Centre.

Established in 1982, the Frost Centre is named in honour of Leslie
Frost, Premier of Ontario from 1948-1961, and the first Chancellor of
Trent University. The Centre assists scholars in the Humanities and
Social Sciences to engage in interdisciplinary research on a broad
range of thematics related to Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies.
The Centre is administered by a Director, an Administrative Secretary
and a Board composed of graduate students, deans and faculty
representatives from its constituent theme groups. The Board meets
regularly to decide matters of policy, to monitor research
initiatives, and to oversee the M.A. and Ph.D. programs for which the
Frost Centre has direct responsibility. The Frost Centre works closely
with Trent's existing interdisciplinary programs in Canadian Studies,
Indigenous Studies, Environmental and Resource Studies, Cultural
Studies, Comparative Development Studies, Administrative Studies and
Women's Studies, all of which are in turn linked with the conventional
Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines. The Frost Centre
administers two graduate programs: the M.A. in Canadian Studies and
Indigenous Studies, and the Ph.D. in Canadian Studies. (Students
interested in the Ph.D. in Indigenous Studies are directed to www.trentu.ca/indigenousstudiesphd). The Ph.D. in Canadian Studies is offered jointly by the Frost Centre and by the School of Canadian Studies at
Carleton University.

The Watershed Science Centre is a unique interdisciplinary and inter-institutional alliance for integrated science, facility sharing, expert consultation, management services, training and technology transfer on watershed ecosystem management, health, protection and rehabilitation. The need for collaboration among researchers from various institutions has always been apparent, even more so now in the face of government reductions and restructuring. By directing scientific efforts at keys issues, networking with partners, standardizing methodologies and sharing information and facilities, efficiency can be maximized and mutual goals met. The WSC leads and encourages the development of integrated scientific analysis and understanding of ecological processes within watersheds. Our goal is to transfer this knowledge and provide a focus for further collaboration, and integration by partners, sponsors and clients.

Trent University is known for excellence in environmental research. Recently Trent received a gift that will allow for expansion in that area. In October, 1998, Marjorie Oliver generously donated a 270 acre waterfront property on Pigeon Lake to Trent University. This property was named the James McLean Oliver Ecological Centre. The Centre is being developed as a residential field station for teaching, and for long-term ecological research. We anticipate that the Centre will be the location for many research studies over the years. It will be developed carefully so that some areas are set aside for long-term research. In these areas, experiments and observatories will be set up for studies of change and response over periods of 5, 10, 25, and 50 years. This presents a unique opportunity as researchers so often have great difficulties finding sites for even 3- to 5-year studies. We will also provide quarters for graduates and professors to stay while doing their research. A couple of research projects have already begun, including one project studying air pollution and global warming effects on various aspects of the Kawartha Lakes, and a second project looking at timing and triggers for the commencement of plant growth and flowering of the spring flora.

Natural Resources DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre

Contact: Brad White

Phone: (705) 748-1011 x7080

http://web.nrdpfc.ca/

The Centre (NRDPFC) represents a partnership between Trent University and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR ) and the current facilities in the DNA Building were opened in 2006 as a result of funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT).The facility includes the Wildlife DNA Forensic Laboratory that provides services for a number of national and international agencies.
The Centre supports projects of graduate students, OMNR and other government research programs, research programs for industry, and research of faculty from Trent and other universities.

The Centre for the Critical Study of Global Power and Politics brings together scholars from Trent University and external members who share a conviction that social scientists have a special responsibility to question popular assumptions and dominant ideologies about globalization in their scholarly work. This research is particularly critical of the ideas and actions of those who run the most powerful institutions in the new global order - from international financial institutions and multinational corporations to states and international organizations. The Centre encourages the active participation of students.

Subject areas of focus include Materials Science, Organic and
Organo-metallic modification of natural lipids, Physics and Chemistry of
Biomaterials, Physics of Crystallization and Phase Change.
Research in
the Trent Biomaterials Research Program is focussed on the utilization
of vegetable oils (soybean, canola, flax, corn, jatropha, palm, etc.)
for the synthesis of functional polymers (for use as intelligent
coatings, biomedical delivery systems and other specialized polymers),
lubricants, greases and waxes, nano-matrices for the delivery of
bioactive compounds and fertilizers, and crystallized networks of lipids
for use as healthy food materials.
Activities centre on organic
modification, assembly of materials at various hierarchies such as the
molecular, supra-molecular and crystalline nanostructures, and
structural organization at the microstructural length range, and the
investigation of the relationships between the various hierarchies of
structure and final macroscopic physico-chemical functionality of the
materials. The materials studied are specifically designed so that
their fate and functionality from cradle to cradle can be predicted and
determined.

The Trent Centre for Aging and Society draws on Trent's reputation in interdisciplinary excellence to promote research and awareness about aging and old age. The Centre's mandate is to mobilize a critically-informed academic and public dialogue that advocates for the diversity of the aging experience, challenges ageist policies and practices, and develops expertise for understanding and planning for Canada's aging futures. The Centre brings together Trent faculty, visiting scholars, students and community members with an interest in aging, and it supports innovative research, education and community engagement that is responsive to the challenges and opportunities facing older people and aging communities in Peterborough, across Canada and internationally.

The Water Quality Centre is located on the Trent University campus in Peterborough, Ontario. The Centre houses many state-of-the-science analytical instruments for determining trace quantities of substances found in natural aquatic environments including rivers, streams and drinking water. The equipment is used primarily in the detection of trace pollutants, but finds application in a wide range of research areas including biochemistry and synthetic organic chemistry, gas-phase ion chemistry, ecology, limnology, and geochemistry. The facility provides research support to university scientists from across Canada. Consultation and analytical support services are available to any interested user. The mission of the Centre is to develop analytical techniques in response to the needs of individuals, governments and industry in all areas of water quality assurance.